Extreme heat hits mango supply and flavour in Bengaluru markets

Severe heat and dryness in the state have affected the supply of mangoes in the city.

Most fruit sellers say April is the start of the mango season and the supply picks up by May, but this year, they are uncertain about their business.

During a visit to the K R Market on Thursday, Metrolife saw stalls stocked with small-size mangoes, some half-rotten. Wholesaler suppliers and vendors at the market said that the mango sales this year have dropped by 5-7% from 2023. They blame it on low yield, poor quality and high prices.

Plus, the mangoes that have arrived so far are not on par with the quality of previous years.

“The water scarcity and extreme heat have taken a toll on the mango yield. Many farmers had to use chemicals to artificially ripen their mangoes faster. As a result, mangoes are lacking in sweetness. They have more seed than pulp in them,” shared Syed Imran, a fruit vendor at the market.

Low supply has shot up the mango prices. Sameer, the owner of a wholesale mango shop in Brookfield, said that buyers are tightening their purse strings because of the subpar quality of mangoes and escalating prices. Popular mango varieties like Alphonso, Sendhura, and Badami are selling for Rs 150-200 per kg as compared to last year’s rate of Rs 100 per kg.

Salim Basheem, a fruit vendor in K R Market, has another theory about why the sales have dipped. “Since mango is a heat-inducing fruit, people who are already experiencing the heat wave are staying away from the fruit,” he said.

However, the sale of the famed Ratnagiri Alphonso has been brisk. “These mangoes usually come from Maharashtra. The weather there has been comparatively better, so their quality is quite good. We have sold about 14 dozen mangoes in the last two weeks,” Sameer said.